Carbon dioxide and ammonia from the atmosphere were first put together to form a polypeptide bond (with probably the electrical lightning in the atmosphere to provide the energy needed to couple those elements together). They did not degrade, as there is not enzymes yet to break them down, and probably started to couple up into a polypeptide chain. And this happened over a long period of time, and the different combinations of R groups were from the environment later (substitution of one of the Hydrogens on the carbon atom). Again these proteins did not break down rapidly, but were able to stay around.Just as the proteins were being polymerized, why not say that nucleic acids were starting to be formed too? Everything does not evolve in isolation. Nothing is ever 'first' in anything. It is a building up of groups of functional events that culminate in a unique function that happens: evolution is always progressing.So now you have proteins with different dipole moments and charges, and you have nucleic acids forming. They swarm over each other. Matching charges to charges. Some connect, while others repel. Nothing is 'being degraded' at this point in time, but just transferred from one molecule to the next. There is no replication that is pre-ordained. But if the environment is the same in this one place as it is another place, then random replication is taking place. This pool is making amino acids with this R group as that is what the environment supports at this time. Something has to happen at the edges of these pools as one pool bumps into the boundaries of another pool. They mix and mingle, and perhaps signalling is beginning. Perhaps that is what is important: signalling. One amino acid polypeptide, curls around an metallic ion in a certain way, and then when it finds another amino acid polypeptide whose charge is more robust, the metallic ion is passed along thru that specific pool of molecules that the environment provides and supports , and onto the next neighboring pool of different molecules that this environment provides and supports. Thus the metallic ion then progresses thru all the different pools, perhaps providing different proteins/beginning of enzymes, that can now act on other amino acids in different polypeptides................ or even nucleic acids.

. . . . just thinking and typing it in, so it might sound very tangently......

Phosphates were incorporated into the nucleic acids as a basic component, while in proteins, phosphates were used as regulators of the proteins. And sulphur was incorporated into proteins, but not at all into nucleic acids. Mmmmm........

Perhaps one was made in the atmosphere, while the other in the water? Or maybe at the boundary of water and land? I am sure that water had a great impact in making many of these molecules with its polarity. Just as water still has a great function in organisms.